Lithographic digital printing plates are imaged on special opto-mechanical plate setters. The imaged plates should undergo a chemical development stage, this process is usually performed by a plate developing processor device. The development process uses chemical development material in a liquid form. The material is filled into the developer section tank 10 within the plate processor device, as described in the prior art FIG. 1.
Each time a lithographic plate is imaged, it will be transported into the plate processor device for processing, consuming a portion of the development liquid in developer section tank 10. The developer liquid 12 inside developer section tank 10 should be maintained at fixed level. After each plate development cycle, new developer liquid is replenished from fresh developer container 13 via developer replenish pipe system 15. The new developer material from fresh developer container 13 will flow into developer section tank 10, while maintaining the developer liquid level 12. In order to keep developer liquid level 12 fixed, part of the developer liquid from developer section tank 10 will be drained into the developer waste container 14, via developer waste overflow pipe system 16.
At the point where developer waste container 14 is filled up with waste material, the material has to be safely removed and destroyed. This material is hazardous by nature to the environment, and as such yields a costly removal process.
The invention disclosed hereunder, proposes extending the usage of the development material to a plurality of plate development cycles, causing the reduction of wasted material and removal events.